Religious Affiliation in the United States, 1990 and 2001
| Percent of adult population. | ||
| 1990 | 2001 | |
| Christianity | 81.7 | 76.0 |
| Nonreligious/Secular | 7.1 | 13.2 |
| Other | 11.2 | 10.8 |
| Source: "Top 20 Religions in the United States." Retrieved February 28, 2002 from http://www.adherents.com/rel_USA.html. 1990 and 2000 Population data: U.S. Census Bureau. | ||
10 Largest Denominational Families, 1990 and 2001
| Percent of U.S. population. | ||
| 1990 | 2001 | |
| Catholic | 26.2 | 24.5 |
| Baptist | 19.4 | 16.3 |
| Methodist/Wesleyan | 8.0 | 6.8 |
| Lutheran | 5.2 | 4.6 |
| Presbyterian | 2.8 | 2.7 |
| Pentecostal/Charismatic | 1.8 | 2.1 |
| Episcopalian/Anglican | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| Judaism | 1.8 | 1.3 |
| Mormon/Latter-Day Saints | 1.4 | 1.3 |
| Churches of Christ | 1.0 | 1.2 |
| Source: "Largest Religious Groups in the United States of America." Retrieved February 28, 2002 from http://www.adherents.com/rel_USA.html. | ||
Net % Gain or Loss of Members Due to Switching Religions, 2001
| % Net Gain/Loss | |
| Non-denominational | 27 |
| Evangelical/Born Again | 26 |
| No religion | 18 |
| Pentecostal | 11 |
| Buddhist | 10 |
| Christian, no denomination specified | 8 |
| Jehovah's Witnesses | 7 |
| Muslim/Islamic | 7 |
| Seventh Day Adventist | 7 |
| Assemblies of God | 6 |
| Church of God | 4 |
| Episcopalian/Anglican | 3 |
| Mormon | 0 |
| Baptist | -1 |
| Lutheran | -1 |
| Presbyterian | -1 |
| Churches of Christ | -2 |
| Judaism | -4 |
| Congregational/UCC | -5 |
| Methodist | -6 |
| Catholic | -9 |
| Protestant | -13 |
| Source: "Exhibit 7: Number of Adults by Current and Prior Religious Identification, 2001." American Religious Identification Survey. Retrieved March 5, 2002 from http://www.gc.cuny.edu/studies/images/image019.gif. | |
Top 20 Religions in the United States Based on Growth Rate, 1990-2001
| % Change 1990-2001 | |
| Wiccan | 1,575.0 |
| Deity (Deist) | 717.0 |
| Sikhism | 338.0 |
| New Age | 240.0 |
| Hindu | 237.4 |
| Baha'i | 200.0 |
| Buddhism | 170.0 |
| Congregational/UCC | 130.1 |
| Native American Religion | 119.0 |
| Nonreligious/secular | 110.0 |
| Muslim/Islamic | 109.5 |
| Christian, no denomination specified | 75.8 |
[Continued]
Top 20 Religions in the United States Based on Growth Rate, 1990-2001 [Continued]
| % Change 1990-2001 | |
| Taoist | 74.0 |
| Humanist | 69.0 |
| Assemblies of God | 67.6 |
| Churches of Christ | 46.6 |
| Eckankar | 44.0 |
| Pentecostal/Charismatic | 38.1 |
| Unitarian Universalist | 25.3 |
| Scientology | 22.0 |
| Source: Mayor, Egon and Barry Kosmin. "A Measure of Faith." USA Today, December 24, 2001. "Top 20 Religions in the United States, 2001." Retrieved February 28, 2002 from http://www.adherents.com/rel_USA.html. | |
Denominations With the Most Churches in 1999
| 1980 | 1990 | 1999 | % Growth or Decline 1980-1999 | |
| Southern Baptist Convention | 35,552 | 37,992 | 40,870 | 14.9 |
| United Methodist Church | 38,465 | 37,238 | 35,609 | -7.4 |
| Roman Catholic Church | 22,348 | 22,441 | 19,627 | -12.2 |
| Churches of Christ | 12,719 | 13,097 | 15,000 | 17.9 |
| Assemblies of God | 9,447 | 11,149 | 12,055 | 27.6 |
| Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints | 6,771 | 9,208 | 11,315 | 67.1 |
| Jehovah's Witnesses | NA | 8,547 | 11,257 | 31.7 |
| Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) | 12,701 | 11,433 | 11,216 | -11.6 |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in America | 10,842 | 10,912 | 10,851 | 0.1 |
| Episcopal Church | 7,291 | 7,333 | 7,390 | 1.4 |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2001. American Religion Data Archive. "Denominational Groupings: Full U.S. Report." Retrieved March 6, 2002 from http://www.thearda.com. "Top 10 Religious Bodies with Most Churches in the U.S., 1990." Retrieved February 28, 2002 from http://www.adherents.com/rel_USA.html. Note: NA stands for data not available. | ||||
Denominations With the Most Churches in 1999: Average Adherents per Church
| 1980 | 1990 | 1999 | |
| Southern Baptist Convention | 458 | 499 | 385 |
| United Methodist Church | 300 | 298 | 235 |
| Roman Catholic Church | 2,126 | 2,379 | 3,179 |
| Churches of Christ | 126 | 128 | 100 |
| Assemblies of God | 171 | 194 | 214 |
| Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints | 397 | 385 | 452 |
[Continued]
Denominations With the Most Churches in 1999: Average Adherents per Church [Continued]
| 1980 | 1990 | 1999 | |
| Jehovah's Witnesses | NA | 161 | 88 |
| Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) | 316 | 311 | 317 |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in America | 496 | 479 | 475 |
| Episcopal Church | 387 | 333 | 314 |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2001. American Religion Data Archive. "Denominational Groupings: Full U.S. Report." Retrieved March 6, 2002 from http://www.thearda.com. "Top 10 Religious Bodies with Most Churches in the U.S., 1990." Retrieved February 28, 2002 from http://www.adherents.com/rel_USA.html. Note: NA stands for data not available. | |||
Non-Christian Houses of Worship in the United States, 2002
| Jewish data are for 1990. Baha'i data are for 2001. | |
| 2002 | |
| Jewish | 3,419 |
| Islamic | 1,835 |
| Buddhist | 1,654 |
| Baha'i | 1,200 |
| Hindu | 647 |
| Sikh | 213 |
| Taoist | 9 |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1994. The Pluralism Project. "Geographic Distribution of Religious Centers in the U.S." Retrieved March 6, 2002 from http://www.pluralism.org/resources/statistics/distribution.php. "Welcome to The Baha'i Faith—Community." Retrieved March 6, 2002 from http://www.us.bahai.org/community/index.html. "Taoist Temples and Centers in the West." Retrieved March 7, 2002 from http://www.ReligionQuest.com. | |
Top 10 Online Activities of "Religion Surfers", 2001
| % of "Religion Surfers" | |
| Looked for info about own faith | 67 |
| Looked for info about another faith | 50 |
| Downloaded religious music | 38 |
| Emailed a prayer request | 38 |
| Given spiritual guidance via email | 37 |
| Bought religious items online | 34 |
| Planned religious activities via email | 29 |
| Gotten idea for religious ceremonies | 28 |
[Continued]
Top 10 Online Activities of "Religion Surfers", 2001 [Continued]
| % of "Religion Surfers" | |
| Subscribed to a religious listserv | 27 |
| Downloaded sermons | 25 |
| Source: Larsen, Elena. CyberFaith: How Americans Pursue Religion Online. Pew Internet & American Life Project: Washington D.C., December 23, 2001. Retrieved online at http://www.pewinternet.org/. | |
Top 10 Things Congregations Do With Their Web Sites, 2000
| % That Currently Offer This Feature | |
| Encourage visitors to attend their church | 83 |
| Post mission statements, sermons, or other text | 77 |
| Link to denomination and faith-related sites | 76 |
| Link to scripture studies or devotional material | 60 |
| Post schedules, meeting minutes, internal communications | 56 |
| Post photos of congregational events | 50 |
| Post youth group material | 44 |
| Link to sites to help with congregational administration | 40 |
| Link to community sites | 33 |
| Have material promoting missionary/evangelical work | 31 |
| Source: Larsen, Elena, et. al. Wired churches, wired temples: Taking congregations and missions into cyberspace. Pew Internet & American Life Project: Washington D.C., December 20, 2000. | |
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